Bugs Eye View

Keeping an “eye” on everything around you is absolutely impossible, unless we had tens of thousands of lens that looked in different directions, like a bee or a dragonfly. That is exactly what Luke Lee was inspired by, the intricate eye of an insect.

He and some colleagues created an artificial compound eye made of molded polymer resin. It is a dome shape filled with thousands of light-guiding channels, called waveguides, each with a miniature lens. If you look at it closely you will see that there are thousands of miniature lenses and each of them have a field of view far wider than any lens known today. There are still some improvements that the team has planned but for now they are very pleased with the development of the lens.

This has opened up a whole new way that stores, banks, underground stations, and anywhere security needs to be at it’s greatest, can keep an eye on things – pun intended.

There has also been interest with cell phone companies who provide phones with cameras. The lens is so small that the phones will become even thinner. As well, surgeons would be able to use this for delicate surgeries to increase visibility of smaller areas.

Keeping an “eye” on everything around you is absolutely impossible, unless we had tens of thousands of lens that looked in different directions, like a bee or a dragonfly. That is exactly what Luke Lee was inspired by, the intricate eye of an insect.

He and some colleagues created an artificial compound eye made of molded polymer resin. It is a dome shape filled with thousands of light-guiding channels, called waveguides, each with a miniature lens. If you look at it closely you will see that there are thousands of miniature lenses and each of them have a field of view far wider than any lens known today. There are still some improvements that the team has planned but for now they are very pleased with the development of the lens.

This has opened up a whole new way that stores, banks, underground stations, and anywhere security needs to be at it’s greatest, can keep an eye on things – pun intended.

There has also been interest with cell phone companies who provide phones with cameras. The lens is so small that the phones will become even thinner. As well, surgeons would be able to use this for delicate surgeries to increase visibility of smaller areas.